This late-Victorian fanchon bonnet is part of the Henty Collection of Kew Historical Society, tracing its ownership directly to Mary Ann Henty (née Lawrence), a prominent figure in Victoria's early pastoral and civic history. Following over three decades at the Merino Downs homestead, Mary Ann and her husband, Francis Henty, relocated to the Melbourne suburb of Kew, establishing their estate, 'Field Place', on Studley Park Road. Reflecting the high social standing and substantial wealth of the Henty family, this piece of mid-1870s millinery.featuring luxury imported electric-blue moiré silk ribbon and delicate black lace illustrates the refined tastes, consumer access, and sartorial expectations of Melbourne's pioneering elite during the colony’s post-Gold Rush boom era.This late-Victorian fanchon bonnet features a compact, shallow crown constructed from tightly woven, dark-tinted plaited straw, designed to sit high on the head. Its rigid, structured frame is edged with delicate black lace trimmings that create a scalloped profile. The headwear is embellished with wide, electric-blue moiré silk ribbons, showcasing a distinctive watered wood-grain texture, which loop across the crown and extend into long, trailing chin ties.henty collection, mary-ann henty, fashion -- 1870s, victorian-era millinery

This item is part of the Di Reidie collection. Diane Reidie was a much loved volunteer and President of Brighton Historical Society from 1999 until 2016. Originally from New Zealand, Di and her family lived in Male Street, Brighton for many years. A vibrant and energetic person with a zest for life and a gift for bringing people together, Di was a friend to many in the Bayside community and active in local community organisations. Her tireless work as President of BHS saw her named Bayside Citizen of the Year in 2008. As a seller and collector of vintage clothing, she was passionate about fashion history; one of her many enduring contributions to BHS was her extensive work in preserving, developing and promoting the Society's costume collection. In 2018-19, Di donated more than one hundred items from her personal vintage clothing collection to the Society. The collection, which includes clothing, hats, handbags and shoes from local and international designers, is representative of Di's wide-ranging interests, colourful personality, creativity, humour and love of fashion and travel. Di purchased these 1890s shoes around 1990 and recalled wearing them to approximately three events before she donated them to BHS in 2019. Di enjoyed the novelty and conversation they would inspire due to their unusual appearance by modern standards. The shoes are indicative of Di's playful approach to clothing and life. The decorative preserved mink pelt with head featured on the vamps of these shoes is typical of Victorian era interest in and prevalent use of preserved animals for decorative purposes in clothing, millinery and household adornment. This fashion reflected social positioning of oneself as being affluent, educated and worldly. Following the death of Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert in 1861, the Queen's approach to mourning his death influenced social conventions for the public, with the wearing of black becoming a significant aspect of Victorian fashions. The shoes were made by Kendal Milne & Co, a large department store on Deansgate, Manchester. It has traded under various names and owners since it opened in 1832; it traded as Kendal Milne & Co from 1862-1919, and continued to be known by this name for many years after. The store is currently owned by the House of Fraser department store chain and is known as House of Fraser Manchester.Black silk linear quilted uppers of single piece construction with feature centre front vamp seam. Horsehair wadding can be seen along the side of the forefoot where the upper is coming away from the leather soles. Approx 4.5 cm plain black silk covered heel with leather top piece missing from right shoe. Both shoes feature the head of a small preserved mink with glass eyes. The toppling of the vamp features a decorative strip of mink fur. Inside of both shoes is a gold printed manufacturers label on the black silk insole.Manufacturers label - Made expressly for Kendall Milne and Co, Manchester.victoriana, mink pelt, taxidermy, 1890s, fur, di reidie, vintage clothing